Is the male-only priesthood a discipline or essential to the nature of being a priest? Sr. Vassa (again unflinchingly taking up a contentious topic by climbing up the ladder to the highest platform and then jumping into the deep end head first) dives right in and says there is no reason beyond personal preference to not have female clergy. You know, when people ask me about women in priesthood, they say, 'Sister, why can't women be priests?' And I say, 'Women CAN be priests. We don't WANT them to be priests.' Because you see, God can do anything, and the Church, by divine authority, uh, can do anything, but, the Church doesn't want to - and that's a legitimate reason. What I don't like is when we TRY to pretend that there are other reasons for this, because it's legitimate not to want something, and there are reasons not to want this - right? - but, we shouldn't pretent that there's some... reason, that, for example, the maleness...
This is sad news. Prayers for his swift recovery.
ReplyDeleteHope he recovers. Interestingly, Vladyka was transferred for health reasons earlier in his clerical career, too:
ReplyDelete"In 1981, he was tonsured a monk and ordained as a hierodeacon by Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky, +1985), after which he was ordained to the priesthood. That year he was appointed to the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem and began to teach Russian and English at Bethany School. In 1982, for health reasons, he was transferred to the Diocese of San Francisco and Western America." (https://www.synod.com/synod/engrocor/enbio_arbpkyrill.html)
Wonder if there is a connection.